Struggling UTSA offense looking at plays, personnel for answers

Roadrunner running back Jalen Rhodes is slowed down upfield after almost breaking into the clear as UTSA hosts Baylor in the first home game of the season for the Roadrunners on September 8, 2018.

Photo: Tom Reel /Staff photographer

Trailing by 21 points with less than 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter last Saturday, UTSA quarterback Cordale Grundy rushed his team to the line of scrimmage for a third-and-10 play from Louisiana Tech’s 27-yard line.

The Roadrunners set up in a tight formation with one receiver, one running back and two tight ends, plus Kirk Johnson Jr. on Grundy’s right hip. Grundy took the snap and sprinted to his right, mimicking an option play with deep back Jalen Rhodes. Rather than keeping the ball or looking for a pitch, Grundy reached between Johnson’s legs for a handoff — a variation of the fumblerooski trick play that has seen sporadic use for about 90 years.

Johnson ran left and was stopped for no gain, marking just another failed effort to jump-start the FBS’ worst offense.

“If you have a play for us, we’ll take it,” UTSA coach Frank Wilson said. “We're open to all suggestions, and certainly we will do everything in our power to try to find a spark. That is the intent: to generate points and to create offensive big-play opportunities.”

UTSA at Southern Miss

When/where: 6 p.m. today; M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, Miss.

TV/Radio: ESPN+; Ticket 760 AM

Records: UTSA 3-4, 2-1 Conference USA; Southern Miss 2-3, 1-1

UTSA update: Roadrunners coach Frank Wilson said he hoped receiver Greg Campbell would be able to return from injury this week. Campbell leads UTSA with 26 catches and 269 receiving yards this season. … Marquez McNair helped fill the void last week, hauling in his first four catches of the season for 54 yards. McNair missed the start of the year because of injury and did not catch a pass in his debut against Rice on Oct. 6. … McNair is one of six Roadrunners from Mississippi. Defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler and offensive lineman Treyvion Shannon are two of the others. Dantzler started his career with a redshirt at Southern Miss in 2016.

Southern Miss update: Southern Miss is celebrating homecoming today and has won 13 of its past 17 games on that occasion. … UTSA and Southern Miss are 2-2 in their all-time series. … The Golden Eagles have Conference USA’s worst rushing offense at 98.6 yards per game but boast the No. 2 passing offense at 318.6 yards per game. On defense, Southern Miss is No. 2 in the conference, yielding 322.6 yards per game. … Wilson was the Southern Miss running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2008.

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UTSA enters its game against Southern Miss at 6 p.m. today in Hattiesburg, Miss., ranked last in the FBS in total offense at 255.6 yards per game.

The Roadrunners’ best offensive output this season is 300 yards. Even with an explosion of 450 yards this weekend, UTSA would still be averaging fewer yards per game than any other FBS team entering this week’s action. Rutgers is No. 129 in the FBS at 281.6 yards per game — 26 yards per game better than UTSA.

Wilson said he used this week to evaluate personnel and play-calling.

“We self-destructed ourselves and didn’t do the things we needed to do. It forces us to go back and really reflect on what we’re asking of our team. Is it too much?” Wilson said. “So we’ll see. We’re taking intense study in evaluating ourselves and what we’re asking of our team, and we’re looking at personnel from top to bottom to see the players that give us the greatest opportunity to have success.”

Wilson noticed the Roadrunners struggling to make the correct checks and reads at the line of scrimmage, so he said he wanted to simplify play-calling this week by taking those options out of the players’ hands.

“It’s just getting back to the basics and doing what we’re supposed to do and making sure we execute everything,” wide receiver Blaze Moorhead said. “We have to all be on the same page. We showed flashes of that. When we’re all on the same page, things look really good. When we’re not, mistakes happen.”

UTSA’s latest depth chart, released Monday, featured two new starters at receiver and changes to the two-deep at quarterback and tailback.

“There could be a shakeup at many positions. Who knows?” Daniels said. “But whoever goes in there, I just hope they execute. That’s the plan. Whoever gets the job done, whoever gets us the win, that’s the important thing.”

Weeks, a true freshman from Wimberley, made his debut last week as the first quarterback off UTSA’s bench, completing both of his pass attempts for 10 yards and running for 6 yards in the final minute of the loss to Louisiana Tech.

Grundy has started all seven games for UTSA this season, averaging 141.4 passing yards per game on 51.2 percent completions, with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s also run for 161 yards.

Wilson has shown a willingness to rotate quarterbacks this year. Gillins appeared in relief of Grundy against Arizona State, Kansas State and Rice. Moorhead and Daniels said Weeks could play significant snaps tonight.

“I think we’re going to try to make it easy on JoJo,” Daniels said. “Hopefully run the ball some more and get him some simpler plays. Get our offense going a little bit.”

Wilson said UTSA’s goals for the year are “still in front of us.” The Roadrunners are 2-1 in Conference USA and 3-4 overall, sitting ahead of Southern Miss (2-3, 1-1) in the standings. But most oddsmakers have the Golden Eagles as about a 17-point favorite.

“This is the first of me hearing about it, but that doesn’t surprise me,” Daniels said. “The media says things. We’re up for the task. We’re going to fight, and we’re ready to go into it headfirst.”